


Blue-Grey

by pfield5375



Series: english pt [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, Family Issues, High School, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slice of Life, lowkey gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 11:29:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12680988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pfield5375/pseuds/pfield5375
Summary: The sound of a truck crashing into a car haunted his dream everytime he slept made Eun Jeong wake up to a nice morning. The sun was shining, but not too much. There were a few clouds drifiting in the Jeju Island sky, moving with the breeze. He thohught the weather was just a sign of an unfortunate event.---This story was made for a performance task in my English subject. I was going to make a sequel, but I want to know if the response to this was good. Please give this story a lot of love. Thank you !





	Blue-Grey

The sound of a truck crashing into a car that haunted his dream every time he slept made Eun Jeong wake to a nice morning. The sun was shining, but not too much. There were few clouds drifting in the blue Jeju Island sky, moving with the breeze. He thought the weather was just a sign of an unfortunate event. Going out of his room, he went straight into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for him and his grandmother who was still sleeping inside her room. This was the normal occurrence in their blue and grey household. She was too old to be doing their housework, so Eun Jeong started doing all of it since two or three years ago. After cooking rice, seaweed soup, and some side dishes, he walked towards his grandmother’s room. Inside, she was sleeping peacefully. So, he carefully opened the blinds and shook her awake. She didn’t wake up. He tried calling out to her, but nothing was working. He rushed towards the phone and called 119, saying that his grandma wasn’t waking up. He tried listening for her breathing, yet there was nothing.

Two years have passed and a lot had happened since then. He was now a fearsome senior, not the nerdy freshman. As Eun Jeong strode down the hallway, the quiet mutter about him arose and went from student to student. Whispers of an old Eun Jeong who lost his way. “I heard he was a model student before, no offences and always had great grades.” “They say that he meets people behind the school to buy cigarettes.” He usually didn’t bother listening to the rumours. He thought that it was none of their business. He also ignored his ‘friends’, knowing they only stay with him because they expect him to return to that sweet, loving boy from before. What they didn’t know was that that boy had died with his grandmother.

Going inside of the school bathroom, he sees a lean boy with thick glasses on his nose washing his hands. Eun Jeong smirks, the boy was clearly new to the school. He had never seen the boy around the small island of Jeju. The name tag on the smaller one read ‘DO MIN JUN’. Giving the small boy a glance, he took long strides towards him.

“Hey kid, are you new around here?” The boy jumped at the sound of his voice. He turned around to face Eun Jeong. He looked at the hazel eyes of the kid in front of him. There was no response coming from the younger. His patience was slowly running thin. “Did you even hear what I said?” Silence. He glanced around the tiled room, making sure there was no one in the stalls. He looked back at him, slowly moving forward. Shoving him against the wall aggressively, he leaves no space for them to breath comfortably. “How about you give me your lunch money huh?” the new kid shook his head. “Well okay then, I’ll just force you to give it to me.” Grabbing the boy from his collar, he turns him around face first on the wall. He feels up the jeans for his wallet. Once he had a hold of the leather pouch, he took the crumpled 3000 won inside. Laughing at him, he walked towards the exit.

“Hey! That’s my money!” Turning around, Eun Jeong raised an eyebrow, and revolted.

“And so? What are you going to do about it huh?”

* * *

 

His day wasn’t at all entertaining. It was the same classes at all the time, and he was starting to think that he should switch schools. He was financially prepared with the inheritance he got from his dead relatives. By the end of the day he was just tired. Why did he bother attending the classes? A question he always asked himself.

That day wasn’t entertaining either, with him opting not to go to school. The sky was dull blue with no clouds, his house blocking the sun from the front of the cul-de-sac. A knock on the door had stopped his thoughts made his day worse than it already was. He opened his blue wood door to reveal a woman. She looked as if she was embarrassed to be there in front of him.

“Hi? I’m Do Min Ji, I just moved next door!” she exclaimed at his face. “I’m sorry for bothering you, but could you help me move some things into my new house?” she looked expectantly at him. He sighed, not really wanting to do anything that day. Looking at the eyes of the woman, he slammed the door.

Eun Jeong went back to his couch and laid back. He swore he only closed his eyes for 5 second before he heard a yelp from the outside. Getting up from his soft couch, he moved towards the window. Outside, he saw the same woman trying to lift a heavy looking dresser. The strain on her arms was visible to anyone. He went back to his couch and tried to take a nap. Yet he could still hear the small shrieks. He didn’t want to get up but he had nothing else to do. Putting on his leather jacket on, he went outside and walked towards the cottage like house. He took the other end of the dresser, ignoring the smile from her.

He thought it would be over quick. But somehow the fates didn’t want him to rest today. They had to carry large heavy furniture through a slim brown door, leading into a one-story house, which was a large contrast next to his. They finished just after eight in the evening, both of them tired after a day of hard activities. Eun Jeong plopped down on the slightly worn out sofa in the nicely decorated living room. His deep breath was audible in the small room. A glass of water was placed in front of him with a small smile from the older woman. He muttered small thanks to her and gulped down.

“I’d like to thank you for helping today,” A bright smile that almost blinded him is familiar. He thinks nothing of it. “It was really nice of you to do this for me, but I didn’t catch your name.” After determining he had enough air in his lungs, he responded.

“I just didn’t have anything else to do today, don’t misunderstand.” The look on her face slightly fell at the sound of his words. “I’m Yu Eun Jeong.” The chuckles leaving her mouth was a bit awkward, probably feeling taken aback by him. After that he bid her goodbye, silently hoping that he didn’t need to socially interact again.

* * *

 

It’s been three weeks since he helped the lady. Eun Jeong was lounging in his living room again. With nothing to do, he scrolled down the feed on his phone. Until the knocking on his door broke the silence in his grey house. He opened the door again to see Min Ji on his doorstep again. She looked a bit sheepish this time, looking at everything but him.

“Sorry for bothering you again Eun Jeong,” she started. “But I really need help with this dish and my brother isn’t at home right now so I have-” He sighed, leaning on his doorframe. Grabbing his jacket, he wanted less time to waste. He made his way towards the brown house, hearing the woman steps behind him.

Once they had settled inside her kitchen, she had told him that she was cooking for the gathering at her office later. Her chosen dish was bulgogi, a Korean beef barbecue dish, which was loved by her colleagues. They had prepared the ingredients and recipe book. Soon they had started. During the whole process, Min Ji was talking to him about many useless things like: “Did you know that your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself?” In all honesty, he really wanted to stick duct tape against her mouth so that she would be quiet. Yet having a nice atmosphere rather than an uncomfortable one was more bearable.

Cooking was something familiar to Eun Jeong. He often cooked for either himself or his grandmother. These days though, he opted for deliveries and take-outs. He was quite surprised himself that he was cooking bulgogi with a neighbour. It was something that wouldn’t benefit him, but it was something that made him feel content. He wondered why he stopped cooking, surely enough he wouldn’t burn down his house. Maybe it was just that he had no one beside him, seeing if he was doing it correctly, telling him what was missing after tasting the dish. Reminiscing his memories that he had with his grandmother, they put the finished meal in a glass container. Looking at it now, it didn’t smell bad or look unappetising. The nostalgic smell made him remember his grandmother and their time together.

“Wow thank you so much Eun Jeong!” Min Ji clapped her hands in delight. She was wrapping the top in tinfoil and then the whole container in plastic wrap. Eun Jeong never saw anyone do that besides his grandmother. He never understood why they did that, but was probably so that the contents wouldn’t spill outside. Glancing at her, she looked so happy. He starts to think that maybe she’s worth tolerating.

* * *

 

It’s been a month since he became friends with Min Ji, and honestly the whole time spent with her was great. There was a time when he stumbled upon her in the grocery mart that he barely visited. The shrill voice shouting his name made him turn around. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised to see her there. She was waving at him, pushing her cart against his. He didn’t even try to escape her, letting the situation flow out. They finished doing their grocery shopping together, and even getting lunch together at a nearby café. He learned more about the nice older woman. Things like: how she’s an intern for a big company, and how her younger brother is always at school studying hard till night time.

It was the weekend and Eun Jeong had nothing to do as usual. But since he had made friends with Min Ji, he thought that he should visit her place. Knocking on the oak door, he knew that she would open the door for him. He didn’t think that of all the people, Do Min Jun, the new sophomore at his school, the one he likes to shove from time to time, would be Do Min Ji’s brother. Nothing would have been as mind-blowing as this, and he would’ve further elaborated if he wasn’t distracted by the scared hazel eyes of the boy. It was something he hasn’t seen in a while, considering that he hasn’t felt the need to take lunch money from the young man. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door being slammed forcefully. Knocking again, he heard a soft click coming from the inside. He assumed it was the lock.

“Hey! Min Jun unlock this door right now!” He was banging harshly against the oak wood door. When there was no response, he decided that he should go back to his own home. Glancing at the house one more time, he sees those same eyes peeking through the crack of the door. He would come again another day.

* * *

 

The pseudo impact of a truck made his body thrash around in pain. Glass shattering, seats crushing him, bones cracking, Eun Jeong was suffering. His breath coming out short and fast, leaving too little air inside his lungs. Tears start to fall from his eyes in thick drops. He opens his eyes. Darkness. He can’t see. Moving around helplessly, bringing forth discomfort to his body. He tried calling out to someone, but nobody answered. His chest starts to contract and it’s getting harder and harder to breath. He gets dizzy when he stood up, and almost trips when he walks. Every step he took it was like his bones had broken again and again. Everywhere he heard the honking of cars, but when he looked around there was nothing. His feet cold against a road, he ran. He ran to a place he can’t even see. He collapsed in a lawn. He screamed, not knowing if he was heard by others, not particularly caring. He couldn't stop crying. Stop crying. STOP CRYING. Yet he knows he can’t. He can’t stop this pain. He felt as if there’s nothing to make it stop. Insanity. He started laughing. He didn’t know why. But it sounded broken, lifeless. He called out to someone again. Almost screamed out her name. He felt arms around him. He thrashed against those arms, not wanting to be held back. Soon he’s lying down flat; on the floor? Grass? Concrete? He didn’t know. There’s a voice soothing him, making him calm. The arms were caressing his back, rocked him back and forth. He slowly lost his strength, regaining his breath.

“-ng, Eun Jeong!” The sound of someone’s voice is bringing him back. Blinking his eyes, he recovers most of his sight. Briefly looking up he sees Min Jun looking at him, horrified. Peeking at the person holding him, the outline of Min Ji is familiar. He hears blurred voices and he’s being lifted up. He came to his senses when he felt something wet. A cold towel was brushing against his forehead. He glanced to his side, surprised that it was Min Jun. The sophomore froze. He slowly put down the towel in the bowl and scurried away. Then Min Ji walked in and took a seat beside the sofa he was laying on.

“Are you okay Eun Jeong?” she asked him. He nodded, not confident that his voice was strong enough. Min Ji gave him a glass of water accompanied by a smile. He graciously gulped down the water, hydrating his dry throat. “Are you willing to talk about it?” He nodded once more, coughing a bit.

_The sound of a truck crashing into a car was the last thing his eight-year old self remembered. Waking up in a white room hadn’t been exciting either. His body was hooked up to multiple devices in the room, beeping in time with his heart. Opening his eyes, he saw his grandmother sitting beside the bed he was laying on. With her tear stained cheeks, he reached out to them, wiping it. She awoke to his touch, and started crying again. He didn’t want her to cry, that’s why he and his parents were going to visit her here at Jeju. Then she started talking about how his parents didn’t make it, confusing his child mind, not comprehending completely._

“Then I started living with my Grandma after I was released,” Eun Jeong weakly stated. “We were living happily. Nothing made our days bad. And yet she died in her sleep, leaving me alone without a goodbye.” By now he was bawling his eyes out again, his body letting go more of the emotional stress that lingered even after twelve years.

“I’m sorry that that happened to you, Eun Jeong,” Min Ji rubbed his back comfortingly. “Nobody should experience that, especially children.” She whispered words of consolation to him. His hiccups was breaking the silence in the living room. He comes to a state of tranquility and everything is silent again. “But is that the reason why you bully my brother?” Sighing, he lifted his arm to cover his eyes. He’s realising now what he does to the poor boy is bad and wrong. Min Jun never did anything bad to him. “you should say sorry to him, while he’s still here.” She tells him softly. He looks up to see Min Jun hiding behind the wall.

“I… I’m sorry for stealing your money, for pushing you against the walls at school, for embarrassing you in front of the whole school,” Eun Jeong takes in a deep breath. “I am truly sorry for everything.” He lets the breath out and looks up to see his reaction.

“What you did to me isn’t going to make me forgive and forget,” Min Jun said sadly. “And though I feel bad with what happened to you, it’ll take time for me to completely trust you.” Eun Jeong nodded, understanding where the kid came. He slowly stood up from the sofa and excused himself from the two siblings. Retiring at his house to try and sleep again.

* * *

 

It’s been a few weeks since his full-blown panic attack at the Do’s household and now it’s Christmas Eve. Eun Jeong woke up almost noon time. He took a photo frame of his grandmother and parents and put it on top of his coffee table. He deeply bowed to the three photos three times. Greeting them a merry Christmas, he went to set up the table for himself. This was something he did every year with his grandma. Soon it was just him continuing the tradition. As he put down the picture of his grandma on the table, the doorbell rang. And it continued until he could decipher a familiar tune of Jingle Bells. Annoyed, he went to open the door. Standing outside were Min Jun and Min Ji holding a pot of steaming bibimbap. They looked at him with smiling faces.

“I hope you can squeeze in some quality time with the both of us in this fine day.” Min Ji says wistfully. Eun Jeong takes a glance towards Min Jun, wanting to know what he felt being in front of him. The boy didn’t look like he wanted to run away, so he took that as a good sign. Welcoming them in, he couldn’t help but notice their instant amazed faces at the sight of his home. He let them seat on the extra chairs of his dining table.

“Grandma, meet my friends,,” Eun Jeong glanced at the two, flustered. “They’re my neighbours.” He sees the two sibling bow respectfully to the photo of his grandmother, each of them greeting her. He smiled brightly, telling them to wait for a bit. Walking towards the kitchen, he prepared ingredients. He was thankful for the kindness of Min Ji and Min Jun who helped him become a better person. So, he cooked Malgeunguk, a type of seafood soup that his grandma used to cook for him on special occasions. After he cooked it, he served it on a silver bowl. He walked back into the dining room, the two smelling the delicious dish he had made. They all said their thanks and started gulping down the food.

* * *

 

The sun was shining, but not too much. There were few clouds drifting in the blue Jeju island sky, moving with the breeze. It has been a year since Eun Jeong became a culinary major in the local neighbourhoods' college. He ate to a nice morning. That day was when he planned to go to a karaoke bar with his friends from college. He had asked them if a two friends of his could join them. Thankfully they said yes, even telling him that the more people who joined, the better. So he walked up to a familiar slim brown door and knocked for the nth time. The door opened, revealing the slim frame of Min Jun. Smiling at him, Eun Jeong never felt more content and peaceful.


End file.
